Las Vegas Raiders Duron Harmon is the Leader they Needed
HENDERSON, Nev.-Josh McDaniels, and Dave Ziegler knew they needed a leader in the defensive backfield, and their former New England Patriot Duron Harmon has masterfully fulfilled that role already.
Harmon spoke after practice, and you can watch his entire press conference below, and read the transcript:
Safety Duron Harmon
Q: What's it like playing for Head Coach Josh McDaniels again after already having played for him during your time in New England?
Harmon: "Coming to a place with a coaching staff I'm familiar, that did things the way that I was used to, was a big part. Coach McDaniels he's done a lot of winning in his career, especially as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots. But at the end of the day, this is a new team. This is a new opportunity for him and me. I'm just trying to make the most of it. The team is very, very talented, but talent can only take you so far."
Q: Do you have a natural feel for being a 'ball magnet'?
Harmon: "The older I am, the more ball I play, you kind of understand and each coverage where the quarterback is trying to throw the ball. As a deep safety or any zone type of player, if you can have just edge or just a little tip to where you think the ball is, and just anticipating where to break, those are where those tips and those throws might come where you have a chance to put your hands on the ball. Sometimes it's just instinct, just being able to break on the ball, read the quarterback, know what his arm comes off, that's when you make your attempt -- find where the receivers are located and go for the ball."
Q: How often do you talk to your younger teammates about making plays?
Harmon: "All the time. Because I guess I'm the 'old guy' now. I've been in this defense; I understand the defense. I know what the offense is trying to attack. Anytime I've been out there with Sam [Webb], there've been a couple of times where I say, 'Hey, get ready for this.' With [Tre'von] T-Moe [Moehrig], [Johnathan] John [Abram], just everybody understanding. When Josh [Jacobs] is trying to attack our defense and what coverages we're in and you know, just trying to be a good team."
Q: How's the secondary staying competitive within camp?
Harmon: "Next man up. It's a cliché saying, but it's the truth. We're in the National Football League for a reason, everybody on the roster right now has talent. It's all about just going out there each and every day, sticking to your fundamentals, teaching, sticking to what's being taught in the classroom, and going out there and giving it your best effort. And throughout this training camp, whether you're hurt or not hurt you, guys have been doing it each and every day. It's very encouraging."
Q: How's the secondary coming together despite injuries?
Harmon: 'It's a work in progress. At the end of the day, this is our third week. Is it perfect? No. But do we have more good plays and we have bad plays? Yes. We're always shooting for perfection. Even though you we talk about it as an imperfect game, the more that you strive for perfection the better you'll be, and that's our mindset each and every day."
Q: Do you think the young guys are listening to you when you teach about what it takes to be a pro?
Harmon: "Without a doubt. And that's the thing that I really love about this team. We've got a lot of young guys, a lot of talented young guys, and they're all ears open. You they're trying to figure out how I got to year 10. They're trying to figure out Tom [Brady], how Tom worked; how Matthew Slater worked, Devin McCourty. Everybody is asking questions to ask the staff questions about Steph Gilmore. It's cool for guys to want to be great and ask the questions but not only just ask the questions, but I see them putting in the work now. Hot tub, cold tub, everyday -- stretching, staying after. We get out at six o'clock, but a majority of the team probably doesn't leave here until about 6:45-seven. It's the team putting in work. It's a young team, but it's a team that's very hungry."
Q: What have you seen in Nate Hobbs?
Harmon: "He's an extremely focused young man. He's working his tail off each and every day to be the best that he can be. He's my locker mate. So, when I talk about a guy that's always asking questions, always trying to figure out how to get better, I'm talking about him. He's fun to be around. He brings intensity every day. He works his butt off, and the sky's the limit for Nate. How good Nate wants to be, that's how good he wants to be. But the thing is, he puts in the work each and every day. He comes to work ready to go; he's so athletic, so twitchy, can play inside and outside. I'm excited to see what Nate will do this year."
Q: How do you maintain your confidence if you make a mistake?
Harmon: "The way you keep your confidence is through the work that you put in. Your preparation on and off the field, how you take care of your body, what you do at practice, before practice to get yourself mentally ready to go. You can be as confident as you want in yourself, but you're not putting the work in, eventually it's going to show. Amik [Robertson] is another guy that if you look out there, he's out there practice early. He's staying late, working on his releases each and every day. He's bringing great energy each and every day. After workouts, when we do our walk thrus, he's still in there, still trying to get some work in -- fine tuning his craft. Amik is another guy that I just enjoy being around and working with the daily."
Q: What did you think of the attitude and the composure of the team playing in the Hall of Fame game?
Harmon: "It was great. We were focused. The game was not perfect by any means, a lot of stuff that we can work on, but just our effort. Skin to the ball, firing off, tackling everybody, running to the ball. That's just stuff that we always talk about. When we watch the film, we want to make sure that we're playing with great effort. You can coach scheme, you can coach players, but you can't coach effort. As long as you have good effort. it's a great place to start."
Q: Who were some of the secondary legends you wanted to see at the Hall of Fame Museum in Canton?
Harmon: "That trip was my third time going to the Hall of Fame, but it was it was probably my favorite time. That was the time I think I really just soaked it all in. Before we left, we had a meeting with the team and [Head Coach] Josh [McDaniels] said, 'With that class, there are only 346 players in the Hall of Fame.' I don't know why, maybe because I got a little older and you start really appreciating everything that comes with this game. But I was just like, 'Man, this this game is 100 years old and only 346 players have been inducted and been able to be a part of that fraternity.' So, it was amazing. You walk through and you see guys like Ed Reed -- he's always been my favorite safety. He just got inducted. Being there for Brian Young, I got to meet him at PAO [Pro Athletes Outreach]. Seeing that and hearing his speech about his son who passed away at a young age. Some other guys, Brian Dawkins, Ray Lewis. Walter Payton was my favorite running back, so every time I go there, I get a picture of him. Just the seeing everybody -- you walk around, you see all the busts, and you're really in awe. Because those are the guys who really paved the way. Each and every day, they gave their best. You can't get in there with just talent. That's more than talent. That's great. That's being a selfless player, that's being a leader. And all those guys in there did it their way. And it was just fortunate to be able to go there three times. Next time, I plan on taking my son, he's 11 I think you'll really enjoy that too. Great, great moment."
Q: What go you involved with social justice during your time with the Patriots, and how has that carried over to this team?
Harmon: "Firstly, just seeing it firsthand. My cousin was a victim of the justice system. He got a lot more time to he probably deserved at the time. Being around guys like Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater. I've seen those guys stand up for what they believe in. Those guys being mentors to me, at that time I said, 'Okay, I think it's time for me to do the same because I've seen this on a firsthand basis.' And now it's just all about continuing. Moving from city to city the last few years has been tough trying to really get a impact on the community. But I'm really looking forward to doing some things in the community, in the Las Vegas community. Right now, we're trying to figure out where we're going to have a karaoke night -- working on a karaoke night to benefit autism. In New England, my last year there, we were working on doing that to raise that. Also, I'm still working with the justice system. The Coalition, the players coalition, trying to see what needs to be done here because there needs to be work in every city. No city is perfect. There are poorer areas that need resources, and I'm not only here to win football games for the Las Vegas Raiders, but I'm also here to make an impact in the community as well."
Q: Have you had the platform to speak out the way you want to?
Harmon: "Without a doubt. And that's the thing I'm fortunate enough to have had. Head coaches since I've been in the league, Coach [Bill] Bellichick, [Matt] Matty P [Patricia], [Arthur] Art Smith and Josh McDaniels. They all let the players speak out on what they believe. I'm very thankful to have had those four head coaches that let me speak out for what I believe in."
Q: What's your go-to karaoke song?
Harmon: “Anything Musiq Soulchild. We were going to do [the karaoke benefit night] it at the end of October, but I think I'll push it back to sometime in early December. You all have the invite right now."
Q: What's the excitement level ahead of Sunday's preseason game at Allegiant Stadium?
Harmon: "It's amazing. That's why we do it, that's why I joined this team. The coaches, the players, and the fans. The fans love their team. They love the Raiders, and I'm excited to go out there, give it my best, and do everything I can to help this team win games so that the Raider fans can be happy."
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